Legislators have made clear their intentions to continue efforts to trim Pennsylvania’s prison population, pointing to cost savings and the need to make the state’s criminal justice system more equitable.

But despite several major criminal justice reform measures already being introduced, the General Assembly is still in the early stages of charting its course forward on the matter. While none of the bills have gotten hearings as of yet, lawmakers have their sights set on altering the state’s probation system, moving away from cash bail and updating a major criminal justice law already on the books.

Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) is one state lawmaker who hopes to protect victims of sexual assault and make it easier for them to report incidents on college campuses.

As part of Pennsylvania’s It’s On Us initiative to prevent sexual assault on college and university campuses, Baker has introduced a bill that would establish an online reporting system for instances of sexual harassment and assault on postsecondary institutions in Pennsylvania.

Teens across the nation can be seen surrounded by clouds of vapor made to taste and smell like their favorite fruit, candy, dessert or even beverage. Legislators in Pennsylvania are attempting to stop what the federal Food and Drug Administration declares an epidemic.

The Senate Appropriations Committee met at Temple University Tuesday to analyze the Philadelphia Healthy and Safe Schools Initiative that has kicked off in two inner-city elementary schools, Bethune and Kenderton.

Under Act 44, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine will work on implementing reforms at two K-8 schools in Philadelphia that take into account students’ mental health.

Lawmakers advanced legislation this week to refund Pennsylvanians in the Delaware River watershed who lose out on fracking royalties as part of a general pushback on the river’s federal governance.

Since the 1960s, the Delaware River Basin Commission — an interstate compact between Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — has managed the water quality and use of the winding river system that stretches from the Catskill Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.